System and method for access to continuously running application programs by network connected end-user devices

ABSTRACT

A system for providing access to one or more application device, such as a respective processed application program, is connected to a telecommunications network including at least one user device. The system includes a manager device connected to the respective application device, and the manager device communicatively connects to the respective user device. Each application device includes a respective processing state and a state table of each respective processing state. The manager device updates the respective processing state of the state table for each application device and respective user device. Each user device accesses the manager device to obtain the respective processing state in the state table of the particular application device for the particular user device. User devices can switch communications with the manager device and application device, providing continuing operations of the application device with same processing state.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation and has benefit of priority ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/641,755, titled “System and Methodfor Access to Continuously Running Application Programs by NetworkConnected End-User Devices”, filed Jul. 5, 2017 and issued on Sep. 29,2020 as U.S. Pat. No. 10,791,180, which priority application is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/940,502, titled“System and Method for Access to Continuously Running ApplicationPrograms by Network Connected End-User Devices”, filed Nov. 13, 2015 andissued on Aug. 15, 2017 as U.S. Pat. No. 9,736,247, which priorityapplication is a continuation of and has benefit of priority of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/692,237, titled “System and Method forAccess to Continuously Running Application Programs by Network ConnectedEnd-User Devices”, filed Dec. 3, 2012 and issued on Dec. 22, 2015 asU.S. Pat. No. 9,219,661 (which is a conversion and has benefit ofpriority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/566,282,titled “System and Method for Access to Continuously RunningApplications by Various End-User Devices,” filed Dec. 2, 2011). Thepriority application Ser. Nos. 15/641,755 14/940,502 is co-pending andhas at least one same inventor of the present application and is hereinincorporated by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention generally relates to remote processing of applicationprograms by a server computer accessible over a distributed network byend-user devices, and more particularly relates to systems and methodsfor serving remotely processed software and hardware applicationprograms to end-user devices over a communications network and switchingamong end-user devices for access to the programs with continuousprocessing state.

BACKGROUND

End-user computing software programs and their operations (i.e.,applications) have traditionally been processed (i.e., run) on anend-user device itself, for example, a personal computer (PC) running anapplication of the PC, a smartphone running an application on thesmartphone, a game console running a game application on the console,and others. Recently end-user applications have been run on datacenter-located servers. These server-run applications are delivered tothe end-user device via communicative connection of the end-user deviceto the servers.

Examples of this type of computing include Remote Desktop, where thecomplete PC Operating System and the user's PC applications are run on aserver and then delivered as a single application to an end-user devicesuch as a low-end PC or thin-client computing device communicativelyconnected to the server.

Another example of an application run by a data-center located server isa web server running a hypertext markup language (HTML) version of theapplication, where the end-user device communicatively connects to theweb server over a communications network via a browser to access thatapplication.

Certain platform architectures for servers and communications systems,for example, the Hierarchical Display-Server System described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/160,122, create a system of multipleapplications capable of being delivered to completely non-intelligentend-user devices (and/or other end-user devices).

It would be a significant improvement in the art and technology toprovide applications run by a remote server computer for access byend-user devices, which end-user devices can be switched whilemaintaining continuous processing state for the running applications.

SUMMARY

An embodiment of the invention is a system communicatively connected toa telecommunications network. At least one user device iscommunicatively connected to the network. The system includes a managerdevice communicatively connected to the network for communicating withthe at least one user device, at least one application device, the atleast one application device communicatively connected to the managerdevice and communicatively connected to the network for communicatingwith the at least one user device, each respective one of the at leastone application device includes a respective processing state, and astate table of each respective processing state, the state table iscommunicatively connected to the manager device, the manager deviceupdates the respective processing state of the state table for eachrespective one of the application device for each respective one of theat least one user device. Each of the at least one user devicecommunicatively connects over the network to the manager device, toaccess any respective one of the application device and obtain therespective processing state of the application device for the userdevice, as then-maintained in the state table by the manager device.

A manager application device is used to control the movement ofapplications from one device to another. The manager application isaware of all of a user device's running applications and all of a user'sdevices. The manager application is the traffic cop and responds toapplication movement requests from the user devices. The managerapplication also provides security for all application and user devices.

Two types of application movement can provided: push and pull. To pullan application to a new user device, the user goes to the new userdevice and requests from the manager the list of applications. After thelist is delivered to the user device, the user selects the desiredapplication and the manager directs that application to the new userdevice. The new user device now is accessing the application.

To push an application to a new user device, the user of the applicationinforms the manager that that application should be moved to a new userdevice. The manager directs that application to the new user device. Theuser then moves to the new user device and that device is accessing theapplication.

Another embodiment of the invention is a system communicativelyconnected to a packet switched network. A first communications deviceand a second communications device each communicatively connected to thenetwork. The system includes a manager communicatively connected to thenetwork for communicating with the first communications device and thesecond communications device, an application device communicativelyconnected to the manager and communicatively connected to the networkfor communicating with the first communications device and the secondcommunications device, the application device includes a processingstate of operations of the application device during communicativeoperations of the application device with the each of the firstcommunications device and the second communications device over thenetwork, and a table of the processing state, the table iscommunicatively connected to the manager, the manager updates theprocessing state of the table during operations of the applicationdevice via communications over the network with the first communicationsdevice and the second communications device.

The application device continuously runs and no state information islost. The application device begins on the second device at same placethat it ended on the first device. However because devices may havedifferent characteristics, such as display size and input methods, theapplication device may reformat the information for the second device orrespond to different types of user input on the second device.

In other embodiments, running the application device on a data centerserver may not be possible. A distributed application devicearchitecture can be used, where application instances are run on eachindividual user device. The application instance of each user device cancommunicate with other application instances on other user devices. Whenan application instance is activated, it gets the current state from thelast running application instance. Alternatively, each runningapplication instance can constantly send the application state to acentral location and other instances upon activation will get theapplication state from the central location.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is a method of remotelyproviding access to a processed application program to at least one userdevice. The method includes first serving the processed applicationprogram over a telecommunications network to a first user devicecommunicatively connected to the network, collecting a process state ofthe processed application program during operation, storing the processstate of the processed application, switching serving the processedapplication program over the telecommunications network to a second userdevice communicatively connected to the network, second serving theprocessed application program over the telecommunications network to thesecond user device, and retrieving the process state by the second userdevice upon the step of switching.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the accompanying figures, in which like referencesindicate similar elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a system of a manager device and a plurality ofprocessed application devices connected to a network, in communicationwith user devices, according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary operation of the system of FIG. 1,according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example user device screen image of a set ofapplications of application devices available to be switched for accessby another device, according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates example connections over time of pull switching ofaccess to application devices from one user device to another userdevice, according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates example connections over time of push switching ofaccess to application devices from one user device to another userdevice, according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates example screen images in two different user devices,according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates connections for switching of access to a complexapplication device from one user device to another user device,according to certain embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates example instantiation application devices inoperation with a table in a distributed application system, according tocertain embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an example app list and display list of a managerdevice, according to certain embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this disclosure, “application” is used to refer to a computersoftware program stored in memory and/or electronic circuitry,controlled by a microprocessor to perform an operation or sequence ofoperations on data, for example, an application program processed by acomputer; “run” or “running” is used to refer to the processing of suchan application by a microprocessor, for example, of a computing device;and “session” is used to refer to a period of communicative connectivityof an end-user device to a computer running an application, for example,connectivity of a client device communicatively connected over a networkto one or more server computer processing an application served to theclient device.

Referring to FIG. 1, a system 10 for providing access to continuouslyrunning application programs includes a manager application 131 and atleast one application (e.g., App1 100, App2 101, App3 102, App4 103, andApp5 104) of or communicatively connected to the manager application131. The manager application 131 includes, or is communicativelyconnected to, a processor 132 a and memory 132 b, such as one or moreserver computer 132. The manager application 131 is communicativelyconnected to one or more telecommunications network 130. A non-exclusiveexample of the network 130 is a packet-switched data network, such as alocal area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Internet, intranet,virtual private network (VPN), other communications link or combinationof links and nodes, or combinations of these. Links of the network 130can include any wired, wireless, optical, satellite, infrared, cellular,other channel, or combinations of these.

Each application, for example purposes, App1 100, App2 101, App3 102,App4 103, and App5 104, is included in the manager application 131,and/or communicatively connected to the manager application 131 by thenetwork 130 or other link or circuit, for example, a direct link (asshown in FIG. 1 for purposes of example but not limitation). Althoughnot shown in detail in FIG. 1, each application 100, 101, 102, 103 and104 includes or is communicatively connected to a processor and memory(or respective processor and memory, as applicable), and is or includesa computer program stored in memory and/or electronic circuit controlledby the processor. In certain embodiments, each application is processedby a respective processing device or devices, such as one or more servercomputer, and the device or devices are communicatively connected to themanager application 131. In other embodiments, the application is inwhole or part included in and run by the manager application 131 or inand by processor 132 a and memory 132 b, such as the server computer132.

At least one user device (e.g., Device A 119, Device B 120, and Device C121) can communicatively connect to the network 130 or link or links ofthe network 130. As will now be described, the user devices, for examplepurposes, Device A 119, Device B 120, and Device C 121, cancommunicatively connect to the manager application 131 and one or moreof the applications, for example purposes, App1 100, App2 101, App3 102,App4 103, and/or App5 104.

Referring to FIG. 1A, in conjunction with FIG. 1, for a non-exclusiveexample of the system 10 in operation, five applications, App1 100, App2101, App3 102, App4 103, and App5 104, are running, processed by aprocessing device such as the server 132 or other processing device(s).In the example, App1 100 is assigned 110 to Device A 119, and App5 104is assigned 118 to Device C 121. All of the applications 100, 101, 102,103, 104 are controlled 105, 106, 107, 108, 109 by a Manager Application112 of the system 10, for example, the manager application 112 of FIG. 1running on a server communicatively connected (or connectable) to theuser devices 119, 120, 121. The Manager Application 112 has a sessionwith all devices 119, 120, 121: Session 1 113 is assigned 111 to DeviceA 119, Session 2 115 is assigned 114 to Device B 120 and Session 3 117is assigned 116 to Device C 121. In the respective session, the ManagerApplication 112 communicates over the network 130 with the respectiveuser device for purpose of the particular application for the userdevice. For example, in Session 1 113, the Manager Application 112 andDevice A 119 communicate over the network 130 in accordance with theApp1 100, as will be further detailed.

Referring to FIG. 2, in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 1A, an exampledisplay 20 of an exemplary one of the user device includes a screenimage 200 output by the user device (for example, displayed in one ofthe user devices 119, 120, 121 of FIG. 1). The screen image 200 includesa set of applications (e.g., 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205) processed bythe system 10 and controlled by the Manager Application 112, to allowmovement from one user device to another (e.g., from device 119 to 121)with continuous processing state maintained for the running applications201, 202, 203, 204 and 204. The screen image 200 is created in the userdevice (as applicable per the example) by the Manager Application 112,via communicative connection between that user device and the ManagerApplication 112. The Manager Application 112 is processed, for example,by the server computer 132, which server computer 132 is communicativelyconnected to the user device by the communications network 130.

To create the image 200 in the user device, the Manager Application 112requests a respective application image 201, 202, 203, 204 and 205, fromeach of the Applications 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, respectively. Thereceived application images 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 are tiled as acomposite of the application images 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 at theManager Application 112 (e.g., at the server 132 for the ManagerApplication 112) to create the overall screen image 200. The screenimage 200 is presented 111, 114, 116 to the Devices 119, 120, 121 viacommunications over the network 130, when the devices 119, 120, 121request over the network 130 the list of available Applications 100,101, 102, 103, 104.

Referring to FIG. 3, in conjunction with FIG. 2, sessions 30 (e.g.,Session 1 113 of Device A 119, Session 2 115 of Device B 120, andSession 3 117 of Device C 121) over time can be pulled from one userdevice to another user device (e.g., from Device A 119 to Device C 121)without loss of continuous operations of running Applications 100, 101,102, 103, 104. As an example, at time T0 300, Device 1 305 (e.g., DeviceA 119 of FIG. 1) is communicatively connected by the network 130 to AppA 308 (e.g., App1 100 of FIG. 1). At time T1 301, Device 2 306 (e.g.,Device C 121) requests 311 over the network 130 to the Manager 307(e.g., the Manager App 112) for the list of running applications (e.g.,Applications 100, 101, 102, 103, 104). At time T2 302, Manager 307responds 313 over the network 130 to Device 2 306 with the list ofavailable applications. An example response with the list of runningapplications is the image 200 of FIG. 2.

At time T3 303, Device 2 306 responds 315 over the network 130 back toManager 307 that it wants to use App A 308. For times T1 301, T2 302, T3303, Device 1 305 remains accessing App A 308 by communications over thenetwork 130 therewith. At time T4 304, the Manager 307 informs 317 bycommunication over the network 130 to App A 308 that App A 308 is tomove access and use of the application (i.e., App A 308) to Device 2 306from Device 1 305. App A 308 responds over the network 130 by moving useaccess 318 to Device 2 306. Also at time T4 304, the Manager 307 iscommunicatively connected 316 to Device 1 305, as Device 1 305 is nolonger accessing App A 308. This type of movement (or transfer) of useof the application is called a pull operation, as the application use ispulled from one device to another device.

Referring to FIG. 4, in conjunction with FIG. 2, sessions 40 (e.g.,Session 1 113 of Device A 119, Session 2 115 of Device B 120, andSession 3 117 of Device C 121) over time can be pushed from one userdevice to another user device (e.g., from Device A 119 to Device C 121)without loss of continuous operations of running Applications 100, 101,102, 103, 104. As an example, at time T0 400, Device 1 403 (e.g., DeviceA 119 of FIG. 1) is communicatively connected by the network 130 foraccess to App A 406 (e.g., App1 100 of FIG. 1). At time T1, Device 1 403informs 409 over the network 130 the Manager 405 that use of App A 406should be moved to Device 2 404 (e.g., Device C 121). At time T1, App A406 is still communicatively connected 408 by the network 130 to Device1 403. At time T2 402, the Manager 405 informs 410 via the network 130the App A 406 that it is to move use access of the application to Device2 404 from Device 1 403. App A 406 responds 412 by moving use access viathe network 130 to Device 2 404. Also at time T2 402, the Manager 405 iscommunicatively connected 411 to Device 1 403, as Device 1 403 is nolonger accessing App A 406. This type of movement (or transfer) of useof the application is called a push operation, as the application use ispushed from one device to another device.

Referring to FIG. 5, respective screen images 50 of two different userdevices depict an application for the devices. A user device with alarge display presents the application as screen image 500, for example.In a user device with a smaller screen, for example a device to whichthe use of the application of the screen image 500 is moved, theapplication segregates the same information of the application in screenimage 500 into multiple screens 501, 502. This accommodates the sameinformation in more than one screen image 501, 502, so that eachindividual screen image 501 or 502 will, at different time, separatelyfit the smaller display. Similarly, when reversed, such that use of theapplication is first accessed from a device with smaller display andthen use transferred to a device with large display, the informationsegregated as multiple images 501, 502 for the smaller display isdisplayed in the device with large display as a single composite image500 in the large display. In both cases, the continuously processedapplication maintains run-time state for displaying information. Thatinformation, however, is displayed in different manners depending on theuser device then-accessing use of the application and, thus, theinformation.

Referring to FIG. 6, an example of a system and process 60 according tothe foregoing, moves (or transitions/transfers) use via access over anetwork of a complex application 601, 602, from one user device 603 toanother user device 604. In the left side 600 of FIG. 6, App1 601 isbeing accessed by Device A 603. App1 601 is communicating 605information to Device A 603 and receiving 606 information communicatedfrom Device A 603. App1 601, in operation during access by Device A 603,relates to another application or device, such as a Child Application oranother Device 602 by incorporation, inclusion, link or otherinteroperation or communication with the Child Application or Device602. In the example of FIG. 6, the Child App or Device 602 communicatestwo information types 608, 610 to Device A 603 and receives twoinformation types 607, 609 from Device A 603. Device B 604 is notaccessing App1 601 in this left side 600 illustration of FIG. 6.

Now referring to the right side 611 of FIG. 6, use via access over thenetwork of App1 601 has been moved (or transferred/transitioned) fromDevice A 603 to Device B 604. To move the use of App1 601, App1 601moves its information flows from Device A 603 to Device B 604. App1 601then continues by sending 612 and receiving 613 information from DeviceB 604, but not Device A 603. Also as illustrated in the right side 611,information flows in respect of Child App or Device 602 are nowcommunicated to and from Device B 604, rather than Device A 603. Theseinformation flows are sent 615, 617 to Device B 604 and received 614,616 from Device B. Device A 603 is not accessing App1 601 or Child Appor Device 602, and communications halt between Device A 603, on the onehand, and App1 601 and/or Child App or Device 602, on the other hand;and communications of App1 601 and/or Child App or Device 602 areinstead with Device B 604.

Referring to FIG. 7, an example distributed application implementationof the foregoing systems and processes 70 includes three devices DeviceA 704, Device B 707 and Device C 710, of which only one can be runningapplication App1 at any instance. Device A 704 includes an instantiationApp1 702, Device B 707 includes an instantiation App1 705, and Device C710 includes an instantiation App1 708. All of the Devices A 704, B 707,and C 710 can communicate 701 with each other, or to a common App 1State 700 communicatively accessible to the Devices 704, 707, 710, forexample, over a communications network 701.

In an exemplary operation, Device A 704 uses a running application (suchas by accessing over the communications network 701 the application,maintained on a server in connection with operation of a ManagerApplication), for example, the App1 702 instance is processed. The stateof the App1 702 is maintained in a table or other storage of orcommunicatively connected to the Manager Application as an App 1 State700. If the user moves to Device B 707 (from Device A 704, for example)to process the App1 705 and use the particular application, the App1 705requests over the communications network 701 from the then-maintainedApp 1 State 700 a processing status (i.e., state) of the App1 702. TheApp1 702 running on Device A 704 responds with the then-present state ofthe application (i.e., the App1 702 processing state) for detection bythe App 1 State 700. The App1 705 on Device B 706 then communicativelyreceives from the App 1 State 700 the then-present processing state ofthe application in respect of the App1 702, and the running applicationpresented with the particular state is presented to Device B 706. DeviceB 706, and its user, therefore, experience the exact same runningapplication as was in use by Device A 704.

In an alternative exemplary operation, Device A 704 uses the runningapplication (as described) and the instantiation App1 702 continuouslysends the application state to App1 State 700 over the network 701. Ateach point, therefore, the application state is available from the App 1State 700. If a move is made to Device B 707 for use of the application,the App1 705 instance of Device B 707 initially requests thethen-registered state of the running application from App 1 State 700.The App 1 State 700 responds with that state, and the App1 705 on DeviceB 706 receives the state to present to Device B 706 for the runningapplication. The Device B 706, and its user, therefore, experience theexact same running application as was in use by Device A 704. The App1705 processed by Device B 706 then continuously updates runningapplication state in the App 1 State 700. In such distributedimplementation, the saving and restoring of the complete state of theapplication in these manners allows movement between devices for use ofthe application, with continued operation of the application among eachsuccessive device.

Referring to FIG. 8, a Manager (for example, the manager application 131of FIG. 1 and/or Manager Application 112 of FIG. 1A) creates andmaintains, and employs in operation, two list tables, an App List 800and a Display List 810. In performing the operations described withrespect to FIG. 3, the Manager (e.g., Manager 307 in FIG. 3) uses andupdates the lists of these tables. Similarly in performing theoperations described with respect to FIG. 4, the Manager (e.g., Manager405 in FIG. 4) uses and updates the lists of these tables. For eachdevice accessing running application(s) related to the Manager, theManager manipulates the App List 800 and the Display List 801. TheManager maintains in the App List 800 identification of each accessingdevice and respective one or more application(s) which may be accessedand used by the device (i.e., the application tiles for runningapplications for the device and that are shown on the device display),with one entry for each application. The Manager maintains in theDisplay List 801 data representing the respective display for each suchdevice, with one entry for each of a user's displays.

For example, App List 800 entries are:

-   -   AppName 801: The name of the application    -   DispId 802: A number that references the display from the        Display List 810.    -   DispLocSize 803: The location and size of the application on the        display.    -   Active 804: True if the application is currently being displayed        on a display.    -   LastActive 805: The time the application was last used.        For example, Display List 810 entries are:    -   Id 811: The number assigned to a display, used in App List 800.    -   Size 812: The height and width of the display.    -   Type 813: The type of the display, such as: handheld, tablet,        desktop or big screen.    -   InputMethods 814: The input methods that the display uses, such        as keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen.    -   Active 815: True if there is an active session to the display.    -   LastActive 816: The time the display was last active.    -   Session 817: Information about the display session such as: IP        address, port, and communications type.

In the foregoing, the invention has been described with reference tospecific embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate,however, that various modifications, substitutions, deletions, andadditions can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.Accordingly, the specification and figures are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modificationssubstitutions, deletions, and additions are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the invention. Any benefits, advantages, orsolutions to problems that may have been described above with regard tospecific embodiments, as well as device(s), connection(s), step(s) andelement(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occuror become more pronounced, are not to be construed as a critical,required, or essential feature or element.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of providing access remotely to adisplay of an application program being processed by a server device,the display corresponds to a process state of the application programduring processing by the server device, to a first user device and asecond user device, comprising: first communicating the display for theprocess state of the application program being processed by the serverdevice, by the server device over a telecommunications network to thefirst user device communicatively connected to the network; displayingfor the process state of the application program being processed by theserver device, by the first user device communicatively connected to theserver device by the network; collecting the process state of theapplication program being processed by the server device duringprocessing by the server device; storing the process state by the serverdevice; switching communicating the display for the process state of theapplication program being processed by the server device, by the serverdevice over the telecommunications network to the second user devicecommunicatively connected to the network; second communicating thedisplay for the process state of the application program being processedby the server device, by the server device over a telecommunicationsnetwork to the second user device communicatively connected to thenetwork; displaying for the process state of the application programbeing processed by the server device, by the second user devicecommunicatively connected to the server device by the network; andproviding continuing processing of the application program by the serverdevice, upon switching.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:continuing processing of the application program by the server device,for displaying by the second user device for the process state.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: managing the steps of displaying,collecting, storing, and switching by a manager device communicativelyconnected to the server device.
 4. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: receiving a request by the manager device from the firstuser device, to perform the switching.
 5. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising: receiving a request by the manager device from the seconduser device, to perform the switching.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe collecting is performed by an instantiation application device ofthe first user device; and further comprising: receiving the processstate by a manager device from the instantiation application device ofthe first user device.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the collectingis performed by a first instantiation application device of the firstuser device; and further comprising: receiving the process state by asecond instantiation application device of the second user device fromthe first instantiation application device of the first user device. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the first communicating formats thedisplay for the first user device and the second communicatingdifferently formats the display for the second user device.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising: formatting the display for thefirst user device by the server device; and formatting the display forthe second user device by the server device; wherein formatting thedisplay for the first user device provides display in the first userdevice of the same information as formatting the display for the seconduser device provides display in the second user device.